News

Mayor supports launch of campaign with Mayor of London to help save lives

The Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, has joined the Mayor of London, in launching a new campaign to help save lives. He joined Sadiq Khan alongside health and care leaders to launch #ZeroSuicideLDN to help people in Hackney and across London to support others and prevent suicides.

The Mayor of London has called for more than 100,000 Londoners to complete the Zero Suicide Alliance's free online suicide prevention training so they can help play their part in helping people in crisis.

Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville who has completed the free 20-minute training, is calling on Hackney residents to support the campaign too and join him to help save more lives.

The training is designed to show, how to have a direct and honest conversation about suicide with friends and family. It combines facts with real life stories to show the impact it has on people’s lives.

The aim is to break the stigma of talking about the subject, suicidal thoughts and bereavement, and help London become a ‘zero suicide city’ as not all suicides are inevitable. This follows research that shows talking honestly and openly about suicide has helped to save lives.

The campaign was launched at City Hall as part of a World Suicide Prevention Day conference hosted by Thrive LDN – the citywide social movement, co-led by Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville, to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all Londoners.

Every suicide is a tragedy which is why I want everyone in Hackney to get behind the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign. On average, more than 12 Londoners a week take their own life in London. However, we also know that suicide disproportionately affects certain communities. For example, people in the lowest socio-economic groups are ten times more at risk of suicide than those in the most affluent groups.

There are some great initiatives taking place across Hackney to support residents’ mental health and reduce suicides in our area. However, there remains a stigma attached to mental health, and suicide in particular – an unwillingness to openly face it and to discuss it. That is why the push for zero suicides across London is so important.

Through the campaign, we can show our friends, family and neighbours that there is nothing to be feared in talking about suicide and mental health. We can create a city that is stigma free, where people are able to have a more direct and honest conversation about suicide with fellow Londoners in a safe and sensitive way.